


The Pull of You

by ferleira



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-01-25 17:20:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21359845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferleira/pseuds/ferleira
Summary: Loki arrives at the Avengers Compound, being a changed man.No one really trusts him, except the new girl on the team, who seems to have an inexplainable pull towards the trickster god.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	1. Honest

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!  
Hope you enjoy reading this.  
Leave a comment below.  
Thanks!

“Of course I like you Loki, I just don’t know how to talk to you.” Ryland almost shouted. There was a brief pause.  
“I don’t know how to talk to people either.” He said with a stoic look.   
She couldn’t figure him out, he was so alien, so incomprehensible, even unnerving at times. And yet there was something that pull her to him, with such force and intensity.

Loki looked at her for a moment, with no clear expression on his face. If she had to guess, she would have said there was sadness in his eyes. Then he just quietly left the room.   
Ryland just watched him leave. There was a lot on her mind but was sure that Loki wouldn’t really care for any of it. Silence kept her company for the rest of the night.

2 WEEKS EARLIER

Ryland was recruited for the Avengers 6 months ago. She was somewhat of a technological genius and Tony Stark decided to take her under his wing ofter seeing her work at his annual Expo. She was an Environmental Engineer and just wanted to help other people and strive to make a difference in the world. She was very creative and of course brilliant, but also introverted and a little bit shy around strangers. She usually had trouble connecting with people and sometimes can feel very alienated. Yet she is very kind and empathetic to everyone, and people tend to notice. She has this kind of aura that makes everybody feel calm around her. Despite the small amount of time she has been living in the compound, almost everyone knows her and likes her very much.

About 1 month ago Loki was introduced to the team. Everyone was very suspicious of him, nobody trust him at all and didn’t understand what was he really doing there.

“I understand everyone suspicions about me and I don’t really blame you.   
I don’t want to be a burden in any way for no one. I assure you, I am just here to help.” Loki said in a neutral tone. It seemed honest, at least for Ryland.

“That is the thing Reindeer Games. Your words are no good. There is no reason for us to trust you, no matter what you say” Tony said. He wasn’t drinking the kool-aid.

Thor intervened. “Look guys, Loki has changed, I’ve seen him. He is not the trickster you have met. He honestly just wants to help, and I think he can be very useful in missions and can save a lot of people and really make a difference. Still, I understand your reluctance and I will personally keep and eye on him. At the first complaint I will take him back to Asgard, I promise.”

Thor’s words really seemed to resonate with the team. Everybody was silent for a moment. Steve broke the silence, “We are a team of soldiers. Are you willing to follow orders without question? Are you ready to sacrifice yourself for any of us?” He asked Loki.

Loki didn’t hesitate at all. “I am” he said in a strong tone while looking at Steve straight in the eyes.

Steve kept his eyes on Loki for what it felt like an eternity. He then gently nod at him and just said: “Okay, let’s give him a chance” and walked away.

Everyone else seemed content with that decision. They were all willing to follow Steve blindly. If he thought it was a good move, then it was. The meeting was over. Still, nobody was particularly happy about it.

Everyone went about their business and Thor and Loki were left alone in the room.

“Don’t worry brother, they will warm to you eventually, once they get to know you” Thor said with a smile,  
“I don’t care if they like me or not. I just want to help” Loki said.  
“Yes, of course. Let me show you to your room, brother” 

Ryland watch them leave. She was so curious about Loki Laufeyson. She had of course heard about him, but just barely. He seemed so different, different of everything she had ever heard, so different from everything she knew, but somewhat familiar at the same time.

This was out of character for her, but she was thinking of going to his room. She just wanted to say hello, welcome him. Really she just wanted any excuse to talk to him. Maybe later, she thought. Give him some time to settle in.

She knew what floor Loki was staying in, but didn’t know exactly which room. She could have asked Thor, but felt kinda weird, so she just wondered around, thinking she would somehow find Loki’s room. She was nervous, but excited to talk to him.

She was lost in her toughs when she heard a voice, “You seem lost”. Ryland felt a shiver down her spine. The most deep beautiful voice. The hall was deserted. She turned around to find Loki just standing there, watching her.

“I am just wandering around” she said.  
“In a deserted floor?” Loki asked.  
“Deserted?” Ryland didn’t know this hole floor was empty.  
“Just me, of course. The Avengers doesn’t want me near anyone if they can help it.” Loki explained with a stoic look. He was very calm and talk properly. He had a peculiar accent.  
“Oh. Right. Well then I have no excuses left, have I?” Ryland said with a smile. “I came to see you.”   
“What?” Loki looked confused.  
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve come to introduce myself. I didn’t got a chance to do it before.” She put his hand forward, “I’m Ryland” she said with a little smile.  
Loki was really confused “What kind of mockery is this?” He asked, a little bit upset but calm.  
Ryland lost her smile. “What?” She asked.  
“Don’t you have something better to do than to make fun of me, my dear?” Loki asked walking away from her.  
“Just because mocking people is your default doesn’t mean everyone else is.” Ryland answered with a sigh, “I just came here to say Hi, and try to make you feel somewhat welcome.” She looked at him. He seemed confused. “But I get you don’t want to talk to me. I won’t bother you.” She told him with a kind smile but with some hint of sadness in her eyes. She started walking away.  
“Wait!” Loki shouted almost too loud. “Why aren’t you afraid of me?” He asked honestly.  
“Should I be afraid of you?” Ryland asked.  
“Everyone else is” He looked into her eyes.   
“You are a very powerful being, from a land far away, with powers we can even begin to understand. You are the embodiment of the unknown, and that scares all of us.” She said with a little laugh. “But I see honesty in your words.” She looked at him. Loki was not expecting that answer. “Plus I am looking forward to see you use your magic on the field” she smiled.  
Loki returned her smile. He was supposed to be a silver tongue trickster but he felt that tittle didn’t belong to him anymore. He didn’t know what to say to this woman who showed kindness to him.

There was a pause. Ryland thought best just to leave, hoping she had not offended the god. “Well anyway, I’ll let you rest now” she started to say when Loki extended his hand to hers.  
“I am Loki Laufeyson, from Asgard” he said with a weird smile.  
Ryland smiled and shook his hand “Very nice to meet you Loki. I am Ryland.”  
Loki smiled. “Nice to meet you Ryland.”  
They hold hands a bit too long for a handshake. His hand felt strong and soft at the same time, very cold to the touch. Ryland wondered about the rest of his skin, would it be that cold too?

“Won’t your friends be wondering where you are? What if they found out you were here all alone talking to the monster?” Loki asked her, almost playfully, pulling Ryland out of her thoughts. Her heart ached a bit at his words. This beautiful creature thought of himself as a monster, a feeling not so foreign, even familiar.  
“You are not a monster Loki” she said, almost as a whisper. “I’ll let you rest now. I don’t know if you experience Jet-Lag or something like that, but you must be tired. So, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, maybe?” She said, almost as a plea.  
“I would like that” Loki said with the nicest smile Ryland has ever seen.  
“Great. Goodnight Loki” she said walking back to the elevator. 

Loki stood there for a few minutes after watching Ryland leave. When he made the choice to come back to earth, he was prepared for every single ounce of hate and disgust the humans were willing to throw at him. He was ready for pain filled days and lonely nights, that was okay with him, he was used to it anyway. He thought he had prepared for everything, yet, never, in a million years, he had imagine something like what just happened. He was a little bit worried with the fact that just some basic words of kindness had swept him off his feet.  
He came back to his room. He felt some strange tingling in his belly.

Ryland walked back to her room. She felt so pleased with herself for being brave enough to talk to Loki. She almost felt like she couldn’t even take credit for that, it felt more like a pull, a magnet was forcing her to go to him. She knew she couldn’t stay away for so long.


	2. Oh Captain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some unexpected Steve chemistry...

Before she could open her bedroom door Steve was beside her. Ryland never got used to seeing the one and only Captain America, he always looked like the embodiment of perfection and justice (?) somehow. Talking to Steve Rogers always felt like a nice dream.

“Where were you?” He asked, calmly but concerned.  
“Why?” This threw Ryland for a loop. Steve had never questioned where she spent her time. Never really had in all the time she had been there.  
“Ryland” Steve sigh.  
“What? You have never cared where I am or where I go before.” Ryland said honestly surprised.  
“Because until now I had no reason to worry about you. About any of you.” He said raising his voice a little. He seemed very worried. Ryland understood.  
“I went to see Loki. I just said Hi. Nothing happened.” She explained to him calmly.  
“What happened? What did he say to you..?” Steve started to ask anxiously,  
“Steve” Ryland softly grabbed his arm “Everything is fine. Honestly. There is no need to worry.”   
Steve looked at her while she returned a smile. He let out a deep sigh, not really of relieve but close. “I just don’t know if I’ve made the right call.”  
“Everyone trusts your judgement Steve. Still, whatever happens next, it won’t be your fault.” Ryland said looking into his eyes. She knew Steve had always felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. That’s way everyone trusted him to make the hard call, his conscience was already compromised.  
“For what is worth, I think you made the right choice. I see honesty in his words. I think he can help us save a lot of people.” She added confidently.   
Steve looked at her with a different expression, a bit more relaxed. “I really hope so Ry” This was the first time he called her that. Felt way too intimate for Ryland. She didn’t mind.   
“Just be careful, okay?” He told her looking straight into her eyes with his beautiful blue pair. Ryland knew it was an order but sounded more like a plea.  
“Of course Captain” she smiled, feeling a bit of heat in her cheeks. Steve gave her a soft, very honest smile. Ryland thought she would wake any second.  
“Ok soldier. Get some rest.” He said, giving her a little squeeze in the arm.  
“Goodnight.” Was the only thing Ryland managed to say.


	3. Hand to hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Loki training in the gym.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
Hope you enjoy this chapter.  
Leave your comments below and tell me what you think.  
xoxo

Ryland woke up early and went straight to the gym as usual. She wasn’t very fit when she arrived at the compound, but was determined to get in shape, so she could be useful to the team. She was getting better, slowly but surely.

There she was surprised to find Loki talking to Steve very seriously about something. She may have stared at both of them for too long, because they both turned their head to look at her. Loki looked kind of confused, just like the night before, and Steve gave her a very subtle smile. Ryland just managed to wave clumsily at them before turning around quickly. She thought it was better to focus on the training and not in the violent butterflies in her stomach.

Ryland thoughts ran wild as she did cardio. Most of her life she has been focused in herself, growing, learning, her career, helping others. She hasn’t really had a lot of romantic experiences, she has never been good at flirting or even just talking to boys, men. Until Loki’s arrival she has always been shy and reserved, but now she really surprised herself with some new find confidence, even tough she didn’t know where it came from.  
She started thinking about last night events, the strange attraction she felt, feels, towards the asgardian, the way Steve talked to her, his soft smile. It was a bit too much, and she was scared of how much she really liked it.

After a while of running and being far away in her own head, Ryland noticed Loki and Steve doing combat training far away from everyone. She wouldn’t dare to miss that, so she got as close as she could without getting in their way.  
Steve was a master in hand-to-hand combat. Watching him was like watching a beautifully choreographed, violent piece of ballet. He was methodical, precise and very creative with his moves, very few would stand a chance fighting him, less alone beat him. Yet, Loki was giving him a run for his money. Loki was fast, cunning and unpredictable, maybe he didn’t have all Steve’s technical skill, but he had something else, something in the way he moved that Ryland couldn’t quite figure out, and apparently neither could Steve.

The fight went on for a good few more minutes, Ryland wasn’t sure for how long they’ve been going at it, but it seemed that they were both pretty worned out. There was still no clear winner at this point. She was so enthralled watching them both, admiring their physicality and technique. Suddenly Steve seemed to figure out Loki’s moves, and with a quick strike he sent him to the floor. Loki stayed there pounding. Ryland could help, for the life of her, imagining him like that on her bed.  
Steve approached him and offered him a hand, Loki took it cautiously.  
“Relax, the fight is over. You are actually pretty good at combat, nevertheless, there is a lot you can improve. I’ll give you a routine to keep you in shape, but overall, I’m impressed. You will be good in the field.” Steve said.  
“Thank you, captain.” Loki replied.  
“Don’t thank me yet, you have to commit to it, is very hard work. Now get some rest, tomorrow you will have to show us all of your tricks, so we can plan the new missions.” Steve said as he extended his arm towards Loki, “Good fight soldier.” Loki shocked his hand with a stunned looked on his face. With that Steve concluded the session, grabbed his stuff and left. He seemed a bit more relaxed. Ryland watched him go. When she turned back she saw Loki sitting in the gym grades. She approached him without thinking it twice.

“Great fight.” Ryland said.  
“You were watching.” Loki looked at her. He was sweating and looked exhausted.  
Ryland sat beside him. “It is always a pleasure to watch Steve in his natural habitat, he is the best there is at combat. You really kept him on his toes, tough.” She said with a smile.  
“He is extraordinary strong for a human.” Loki said “I am better at magic.”  
“I am really excited for you to show us all you can do.” Ryland told him with a smile. Loki looked at her surprised, “Why?”  
Ryland let out a laugh “What do you mean why?! I have never seen magic before. Not “real” magic anyways, whatever that means.”  
“I was under the impression there was magic here on earth” Loki said.  
“I mean, there are “magic” tricks, but those are really just illusions, and illusions are just the reflection of our limited brains. If you talk to a romantic they will tell you there is “magic” in the world, but no one really knows what that means.” Loki laughed at that. That made Ryland’s heart stop. She made a god laugh.  
“You humans are so strange” Loki looked at her with a frown and a smile on his face. Ryland smiled back, almost uncontrollably. She had never seen eyes that blue before in her life.  
“We are very strange” she said, still smiling. What were they talking about?  
“Would you like to see one of my tricks?” Loki asked.  
Ryland was pulled out of her trance, “What?” She said a bit too loud.  
Loki was taken aback, “I’m not supposed to show you until tomorrow, but I thought you maybe would like to see…” Ryland interrupted him.  
“Really? Would you show me?” She said with a look of excitement on his face.  
“Sure. If you’d like.” Loki said, a subtle smile returning to his face.  
Ryland touched his forearm, “I would LOVE to.” She said, with a smile from ear to ear.

Loki was really startled by her delicate touch, it brought him a nice, unusual feeling. He tried to shrug it off. He proceded to open his palm and a bright blue light started shining while an object took its place. Suddenly a beautiful silver dagger with a green and gold handle appear on his hand. Ryland eyes couldn’t believe what she was watching, actual magic. Loki couldn’t stop staring at her. She had so much wonder in her eyes and an amazing smile that was just for him to see.  
“Extend your hand for me” he asked her. Ryland did, not without feeling a soft tingle in her spine after hearing him say those words.  
He made the dagger levitate in front of him, give a few spins and finally rest it gently on Ryland’s palm. She felt the cold metal touching her hand. It was real. She stared at it for a while, processing what she just saw.  
“That’s just a basic telekinesis trick for you.” Loki said, kind of jokingly. He wasn’t sure how she would react to his magic, most people didn’t really appreciate it. He was starting to regret showing her, “I should have waited until tomorrow.” he thought.  
“You are… amazing.” Ryland said moving her eyes from the dagger back to Loki. “You really are.” Loki just look at her confused.  
“You seemed even more confused than me.” She smiled.  
“Everything you do confuses me.” Loki let out in a soft voice, almost as a confession.  
“Well, as you said, we are pretty strange. But you will get used to us.” Ryland said. “Thank you for showing me your magic. It is truly incredible.” She said giving his dagger back.  
“Why don’t you keep it. As a reminder of real magic” he said.  
“I… I couldn’t accept it, Loki…” Ryland started.  
“Please” Loki closed her hand around the weapon, “It’s a gift.” He said holding her hand.  
Ryland didn’t know what to do, she honestly just wanted to cry, not really sure why.  
“Thank you so much.” She said taking the gift close to her heart. “I will let you rest now. You must be exhausted. I know I am. I’ll see you around.” She gave him a little smile and stood up. Loki stood up with her. “Bye Ryland” he said, almost as a whisper.


	4. Spells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is not quite right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
Hope you like this one.  
Leave a comment with your ideas.  
xoxo

CHAPTER 4

Ryland took the elevator back to her floor. She felt invigorated even though she was completely crushed by her workout. She contemplated the weapon in her hand, it was absolutely stunning and other worldly, just like its previous owner. She couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe I am dreaming” she suddenly thought, “Maybe this is just an elaborate illusion. All of it.” Yet, the dagger was in her hand, she touched the blade, it was sharp. “This is as real as it gets. Whatever that means.” The elevator doors opened and she stepped out absent-mindedly. 

She was walking to his room, not really looking away from the dagger. She almost bumped into Steve face first.  
“Hey Ryland!” he said involuntary loud, “How was the training?”  
“Exhausting as always” Ryland smiled, hiding the dagger unconsciously. Steve noticed.  
“What you got there?” He asked, concerned showing in his voice.  
“Amm, It’s a dagger, Loki gave it to me, I don’t know…” Ryland muttered as she showed him the blade. She didn’t want to hide anything from Steve or anyone from the team. She just felt kind of guilty for talking to the new resident.  
“What?” Steve laugh. Ryland was expecting a worried Steve, just like the one she talked to last night. Honestly, the only one she knew. Instead, he seemed way more relaxed.  
“Loki gave you his dagger?” He asked surprised.  
“Yes. He said it was a gift. Go figure, right?” Ryland laughed nervously.  
“That guy keeps surprising me by the second.” Steve smiled. “Still, you have to be very careful. For all we know that dagger could have some sort of spell or enchantment or something to hurt you.” He said very seriously looking into Ryland’s eyes.  
“Yes, of course. I was planning to analyze it in the lab, see what we can learn from it.”  
Steve smiled, “Sometimes I forget you are ten times smarter than me.” He laughed.  
“Oh, give your self some credit Steve. Maybe just nine times smarter than you.” Ryland joked.   
He smiled. He was looking at her in a way that made Ryland melt. Most of her recent interactions with him seemed very out of place to her, like a dream or an illusion. A nice one at least.

They stood there in silence for a moment. Just kind of looking at each other.  
“I saw you fighting earlier” Ryland broke the silence, “You are something else.” She said in a quiet voice. She could have almost swear that she saw Steve blush a little.  
“I am getting sloppy. It took me forever to figure his moves” Steve said shaking his head slightly.  
“Are you kidding? He is a god, Steve. A literal god, that is, like, a thousand years old and can bend reality, and still you managed to beat him.” She searched for his eyes, “You are way too hard on yourself.” Ryland grabbed his arm softly. Steve looked at her the same way.  
“Maybe.” He said with a soft smile.  
Steve’s cell went off. He was a very busy man, everyone wanted a piece of him. He looked at it kind of bothered.   
“I gotta go.” he said looking back at Ryland.  
“Of course, I’ll see you around Captain” she said with a smile. Steve smiled back.  
“Be careful with that.” He said, reminding her of the weapon in her hand, before turning away.   
Ryland had almost completely forgotten about her brand new gift. She had almost traded it for Steve’s smile.

She started walking to her room with a stupid huge smile on her face when suddenly the dagger started to feel warmer. She opened her hand to reveal a bright blue neon hue coming from the weapon. She dropped it to the ground.  
“What the…” She was scared to touch it again. Did Loki put a spell on it? Was it supposed to hurt her? No. She couldn’t believe that. No.  
In the ground, the dagger stopped glowing after a few seconds. Something was off, but Ryland didn’t felt she was in any danger. Not really. Even tough she knew she wasn’t being truly objective with any of this, she hoped talking to Loki would clear this up. She knew this was just a misunderstanding. It must be.

So she grabbed the blade and ran back to the elevator hoping it didn’t started acting weird again. Her heartbeat rose quickly. She tried to stay calm. Once inside, her thoughts started to go crazy. Nothing felt right. Suddenly the blade started to glow again.  
“Oh no.” Her heart was pounding. “What is this?!” It almost felt like the dagger was reacting to her panic. Couldn’t be. The doors of the elevator opened and she ran to Loki’s room. It wasn’t far but it felt like miles.

Ryland knocked on Loki’s door. She felt so stupid.   
“What the hell am I doing?” She thought “I should go back. I shouldn’t be alone with him. What if this is a trick.”  
The dagger was beginning to vibrate in her hand. “Shit!”   
She was starting to panic. She didn’t want to believe whatever this was. Somehow she believed she owed Loki at least the chance to explain himself. She didn’t want to be the reason for him to be gone forever. She couldn’t even bare the idea of him leaving. She knew it wasn’t right. She knew she was in trouble.  
Loki opened the door interrupting Ryland from her panic attack.

“Ryland?” He asked confused, “What are you doing here?” He asked.  
She just looked at him, not knowing what to say or how to ask him.  
“Are you okay?” He asked concerned. “What…”  
“Can I come in?” Ryland interrupted him in a shaky voice.  
Loki was disconcerted, “What?”  
Ryland heart was beating way too fast. She tried to calm down.   
“Loki, can I come in for a minute?” She said in a strong voice. She didn’t want to deal with this in the hallway, even if the floor was deserted.  
Loki just opened the door wider and gesture for her to come in, not bothering to argue.  
Ryland stepped inside and notice his room was quite empty, apart for some green and gold decorations, it almost felt like an unoccupied room. Suddenly the dagger felt way too hot, like it was about to explode.  
“What is this?” She almost yelled to Loki.   
“The dagger I gave you?” He said in a soft voice. He didn’t seem to understand.   
“What have you done to it?” Ryland almost cried. She was trying to stay calm.  
“What do you mean?” He responded almost in a whisper. He seemed almost hurt, but his stoic look returned very fast to his face.  
“It started glowing and then vibrating. It feels like it might explode.” She said as calmly as she could.  
Loki looked at her for a second until something clicked. “Give it to me.” Said extending his hand.  
Ryland was holding the dagger way too hard, almost painful. It was getting worse.  
“Ryland, it’s okay. Just give it to me.” Loki said in a steady voice as he grabbed her hand gently. Ryland just let it go the second she felt Loki’s cold skin. She felt instantly better.  
Loki hold it in his hand for a few seconds before the glowing stopped slowly.   
Ryland left out a breath she was holding since she got there. She was still shaken.

“Can I sit down?” She said as she walked towards Loki’s bed and sat down without waiting for his permission.  
“Are you okay?” Loki asked sitting beside her after a few minutes.  
“What was that?” Ryland’s heart was starting to finally calm down. Still she couldn’t comprehend what was happening.  
“It is a spell.” He started. Ryland couldn’t help to flinch and stare at him in disbelief.   
“Please, let me explain before you look at me like that.” Loki said noticing her reaction.   
“That’s why I’m here.” She said, holding her breath.

Loki took a deep breath. “Where I come from, almost everything has some kind of spell attached to it, specially weapons. It is a way of protecting our property and ourselves. Most of this spells are only for the owner to see. This dagger in particular is cast with the ability to sense emotion and intension, which is very valuable in combat.” Loki paused for a second. He was expecting some kind of backlash from Ryland, but she was just listening to him patiently.  
“Almost every spell cast to objects is only intended for their kind. In this case, Asgardians, who emit very high levels of energy compared to humans. This dagger in particular is just capable of recognizing extremely elevated and intrinsic emotions in a frequency that humans don’t really posses. At least that’s what I thought. That’s why I gave it to you, because I was sure the spell would not affect you.” He finished, staring at Ryland. Almost anticipating his rage or at least, anger.

Ryland couldn’t really understand anything that came out of Loki’s mouth. She managed to believe his innocence, and that was enough for her for now. She wanted to asked so many questions, to learn everything, but her brain wasn’t really up for it in that moment. She didn’t even noticed Loki starring at her, waiting for her reaction.

“Ryland, I am so, so sorry. I would never give you something that could harm you. Any of you. I am a fool, I should have never…” Ryland grabbed his arm, coming to her senses.  
“It’s okay.” She said calmly, looking into his eyes, “You didn’t know.” She assured him.  
Loki looked at her in total disbelief. He couldn’t believe this woman sympathy for him. It almost didn’t feel real. 

Ryland felt so relieved that it was just a misunderstanding. She was so happy that everything was fine. That Loki will be able to stay. She breathed again normally.   
She suddenly felt very tired, like in a dream. She slowly moved her hand from his arm, down to his hand. She just wanted to touch his skin again. She knew it wasn’t right. But it didn’t feel wrong. She slowly placed his fingers in his bare skin, one by one. Gracing his hand as softly as she could. She didn’t have an excuse, a plan, an explanation. She couldn’t stop herself. She was waiting for an interruption. A jerk, a shiver, a stop sign, anything, but there wasn’t. She just kept going until her hand has on top of his, caressing it slightly. 

Loki just looked at her. It felt like a spell he used to cast on other people for them to do exactly as he wished, except he hasn’t really used magic since his arrival on earth. He looked at Ryland’s hand on top of his. It felt warm, soft, delicate. It was a feeling so foreign to him.

“Are you always this cold?” Ryland asked in a whisper, breaking the silence, without letting go of his hand.  
“What?” Loki said not really paying attention.  
“Your skin. It feels really cold” she said sweetly, looking at his hands. She felt such peace in that moment.  
“I’m sorry.” Loki whispered.  
She looked up at him. He was smiling. She wanted to kiss him so bad. To feel those beautiful lips. To feel all his beautiful cold body against her. She couldn’t help but blush and tried to cover it with a big smile. She just couldn’t stop. She needed to go before…

“I should go” she said suddenly, startling Loki. She got up the bed and started walking to the door. He followed her.  
“Maybe you can keep explaining me about the dagger tomorrow?” She said with all the blush still on her face. Loki couldn’t help but think she looked beautiful.   
“Of course.” He answered reluctantly, not wanting her to leave, still giving her a smile.  
“Great! See you tomorrow then.” She said opening the door.  
“Than you” Loki said in a soft voice before she could leave. Ryland looked at him, confused. “For letting me explain.” He clarified. She gave him a look so full of warmth.  
“It’s the least I can do. Goodnight Loki.”  
“Goodnight.”  
Loki closed the door and walked towards the bed. He grabbed the dagger in his hand. A powerful green light started to shine, illuminating almost the entire room. The dagger worked just fine.


	5. Tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
Sorry for not posting for a while. I'll try to post more often.  
Any way, hope you enjoy the next chapters.  
Comment down below!  
xoxo

CHAPTER 5

It was very late when Ryland finally arrived to her room. Her whole body was filled with electricity, her limbs barely working. She wasn’t really sure if it was the dagger’s spell fault or the sudden intimacy with the god, she just knew she was exhausted.  
She couldn’t stop thinking about this crazy magic that was now in her own world, happening in front of her, things she thought impossible, now real. She felt such excitement and happiness getting to be a part of something more, something new, completely foreign and incredible.  
Tomorrow Loki would show everyone the real extent of his powers, she wanted to know everything, every single detail. Still, nothing felt more worthwhile than touching Loki’s skin, to look into his eyes, for him to recognize her and give her a smile. She got into bed, hoping to see him again in his dreams.  
Loki couldn’t understand what was happening. “How could a human be able to set off spells?” It was impossible. He felt like a fool, scaring Ryland like that. “Why, in all heavens, give a mortal one of my weapons? Why would I do that?” he lamented.  
He sat in the border of his bed, contemplating his blade that was still slightly glowing. He was very good at masking his feelings, even to simple spells, but this time they were simply too much.  
He thought of Ryland, her compassion for him, those deep brown eyes, staring at him with such warmth, that beautiful smile and the way she blushed, the touch of her hand, her skin so soft. Nothing made sense to him.  
“Why was she here? Why didn’t she accused me with her team? Why did she trust me?”  
He contemplated his blade. He was certain of the power of its spell, he did it himself after all. It wasn’t supposed to react to humans. At all. How was it possible? There was really just one explanation, as crazy as it sounds.

He decided to sleep on it, tomorrow he had to show everyone at the compound his magic abilities. He was nervous, he thought he knew what he was getting into, but he didn’t expect kindness, from anyone, that made it harder, in a way. He just wanted to help people, but now, now he just could think of one thing, one person.  
Now he could do anything just to not lose her sympathy. He was terrified that tomorrow ’s showcase would scare her off. He didn’t care what anyone else thought of him, but her, he didn’t want to say goodbye to whatever tonight was, the chance to touch her skin again.

“Maybe tomorrow will be it” he thought, “whatever spell was compelling her to me will break, and she will come to her senses. She will see me for what I really am.” He almost couldn’t bare the thought. He had to come to terms with that idea, if not tomorrow probably soon, this could never last, whatever it was. He held his breath for a little too long and closed his eyes, almost like making a wish. Against all odds, he hoped she stayed.


	6. Shape shifting

CHAPTER 6

Ryland woke up early as usual and went straight to the gym. She didn’t cross paths with anyone on her way. She hoped to find Loki training with Steve in the gym like yesterday, but there was no one there. She did her usual workout, trying to clear her mind.

She felt energetic, almost too much. She was happy, really happy, and that scared her. She wasn’t used to feeling this kind of joy, it made her feel like something was wrong, like a trap. Or maybe, she was just afraid to lose it just as fast as it appeared. It was almost like she couldn’t be productive if she was too happy, which was ridiculous, she has the right to feel happiness., everyone does, but still, she knew that it made her less objective and impartial. She had to shake it off somehow.

After taking a shower, she got a memo letting her now the time and place for Loki’s magic assessment. She was way too excited to see his magic full force, maybe a little too much.  
She arrived at the meeting room two hours later after having breakfast and preparing herself for the day. She had a ton of work to do at the lab, work she had been too distracted to focus on in the last couple of days. 

“Good morning everyone.” she greeted with a shy voice and a smile.   
Everyones was already there, they were just waiting on Steve to start the assessment. She looked around the room, Natasha was laughing around with Clint, Banner in a lab coat reading some documents, Tony talking on the phone. Thor was sitting besides Loki, almost like a custodian. She crossed eyes with Loki and almost completely froze. He looked at her and gave her a small smile. She managed to smile back.  
“Lady Ryland, good of you to join us.” Thor greeted her with a big smile, characteristic of the god.  
“I wouldn’t dare to miss it.” Ryland said, still looking at Loki before turning to Thor. Even though he was smiling he seemed a bit worried. This was a big deal for them.  
She sat at the table, besides Loki, “Hey” she said almost whispering.  
“Hey” he replied. She looked at his expression, he was wearing his usual Stoic look, but Ryland could see right through it. He was worried. Ryland wanted to grab his hand, tell him everything would be fine, but it didn’t felt right doing it in front of everyone.  
“Are you nervous?” she asked.  
“Yeah, a bit I guess.” he said in a low voice.  
“I am sure you will be great. I, for one, am very excited to see all different ways you can bend reality.”  
“I doubt you’ll appreciate all of my tricks. Not all of them are fun.” he said evading her gaze.  
“They will be interesting at least.” she smiled.  
“I don’t think that would be how you would describe them.” he said coldly.  
Before she can even process that last comment, Steve walked in the room and everyone went quiet.   
“I’m sorry I’m late. Let’s get started.” He said not really looking at anyone as he crossed the room to find his seat. The only seat available was right beside Ryland. He greeted her with a smile.  
“Good morning, Cap.”  
“Hey, Ry.”  
Ryland smiled to herself, she was getting used to that nickname.

Loki walked in front of the group with this almost innate air of confidence. “What did he mean with those words? He almost sounded resentful.” she asked herself.

“Good morning everyone. I’m here to show you my magic abilities that might be useful for battle. I’ll try to be as concise as possible.” he said, and with that he started to show everyone his various tricks, with so much ease, even the more challenging ones seemed effortless while he was performing them. He was a master in his craft.   
Projection, teleportation, summoning of objects, shape shifting, spells. It was an incredibly sight. Everyone in the room couldn’t believe their eyes. Most of them had seen their fair share of crazy, but really nothing like this. This was the proof of a thing that they believed impossible.

Loki finished his presentation after a couple of minutes. He went about it as fast as he could, almost like he was ashamed of his own powers. The room felt silent for a few seconds. Tony was the one who broke it.

“Are you done?”  
“I am.”  
“That’s weird. I happen to know for a fact that you are not.”  
“I beg you pardon.” Loki said almost confronting him.   
“Yes, reindeer games. I know you are hiding your true nature from us. Isn’t that right?” Tony said challenging.  
Loki stood cold. He instinctively looked at Ryland. He was notably nervous, his semblance changing in an instant. That was it. He took a deep breath.  
“You are right Mr. Stark. This isn’t my true form.” He said before morphing his being in front of everyone’s gaze. Before, almost a human man, now a 7 foot, blue skinned, red eyed beast, with small white horns on top go his bald head.  
“This is my true nature. I am an ice giant.” He said standing now in front of everyone as he really was, a monster.  
He searched for Ryland’s eyes. He hopped to find some sign of approval, whatever minimal. She was looking at him with a shocked gaze. Her eyes tracing his whole body. He never felt more embarrassed.

“Does any of this affects your magic or fighting at all?” Steve asked, almost irritated by Tony’s remark.  
“No. It’s just the way you perceive me. I can shape shift into many forms without losing any of my essence.” He said, almost robotically.  
“Ok, then. Anything else?” Steve asked everyone in the room. They just shook their heads.  
“Great. I think we are done here for the day. Thank you, Loki, for sharing your abilities. Tomorrow we will discuss the particulars with you, Ryland and I.” He said, putting and end to the session.  
Ryland was still staring at him. He couldn’t read her face. He was hoping to make eye contact, but she never dared to locked eyes with him. Not at this form anyway. He morphed back into his Asgardian self. She seemed to let out a deep breath that she was holding. He just knew.  
“Of course, captain.”

After the presentation, Ryland wanted to talk to Loki, but he was busy discussing something with Steve. She didn’t want to interrupt and was already late to meet with Bruce in the lab. She’ll talk to him later.

“He is something else, isn’t he.” Ryland heard as she arrived to the lab. Bruce was fiddling with some books. She just smiled.  
“Yes he is.” she said putting her coat.  
“We’ll need to find a way to measure him.” he said.  
“Measure him?” she asked almost offended.  
“You know what a mean.”   
“We’ll need to learn to work with him. He isn’t a lab rat.”  
“I know that. But I’m sure there are things that even him doesn’t understand.”  
He made a good point. They had just met him for a couple of days and one of his spells was already gone wrong. Bruce was right, they will need to find a way to turn his magic into science.

Ryland knocked on Loki’s door.  
“Who is it?” he asked in a grunt.  
“It’s Ryland.”  
“What do you want?” he asked annoyed.  
This made Ryland’s stomach sink. “Why is he acting like that all of a sudden? What happened?  
“Hey, Loki. I just wanted to talk to you for a bit.”  
There was no answer.  
“I really wanted to ask you a couple of things about the physics of your magic. It’s really incredible…” Loki interrupted her.  
“I thought I was answering all of your questions tomorrow with the rest.” he said coldly.  
“Yes. Yes, of course.” Ryland was crushed. “Why doesn’t he even opens the door?” She just wanted to see him. Just take a look at him, without anyone else watching. “What did I do wrong?”  
“Goodnight, Loki.” she said before turning back to the elevator.   
It was probably for the best. It was all an illusion, a nice one that didn’t last long. She had a lot of things to focus on. Important things.   
She got into her room and got into bed without changing her clothes. She felt so sad, so tired. She just couldn’t understand what happened in such a short time for him to act that way. She took a deep breath. “It’s going to be fine.” She closed her eyes. “It’s going to be fine.” she repeated until she felt asleep.

Loki was on his bed, playing with his dagger. He was such a fool, to let hope invade him like that, to let a mortal plague his thoughts like that, to even consider the possibility of happiness. He was an idiot.   
A tear fell down his cheek.   
He knew this would happen, specially after she saw the real him, the giant, the monster. There was no denying it, no matter how hard he tried, what he did, what she told him, this was what he was, what he was meant to be. A horrible monster.  
The dagger started glowing. He didn’t want this, he never asked for any of this. He didn’t like what he had become, he wanted to be worthy, worthy of happiness and love, worthy of her.  
He screamed. “I am so stupid. Why did I even come here?! For what? To feel rejection all over again? To remember that I still feel something? I wish I didn’t. It hurts to much.”

He heard a knock on the door. The dagger was still glowing incredibly bright.   
“Who is it?” He asked, not wanting anyone to see.  
“It’s Ryland.”  
It was her. “What is she doing here?” He thought. Some hope invaded him immediately. Maybe she wasn’t that scared of him after all. Maybe… he could not afford to be foolish again.  
“What do you want?” He said in the most neutral voice he managed, but it came out way too harsh.  
“Hey, Loki. I just wanted to talk to you for a bit.”  
He wanted to open that door and let her in. Maybe she would hold his hand again, that would be enough…  
“I really wanted to ask you a couple of things about the physics of your magic.” she started to say.  
Of course, she is a scientist, he is her new lab rat, her new job is to study him, to measure him, to seem interested. She had no choice.   
He sat on the bed.   
“I thought I was answering all of your questions tomorrow with the rest.”  
“Yes. Yes, of course.” There was a pause. “Goodnight, Loki.” Her voice sounded sad. Almost as sad as Loki was.  
He stared at the door for a few moments. No more tears fell on his cheek. After a while the dagger stopped glowing at all.


	7. Heaviness

Ryland woke up earlier than usual. Her chest felt very heavy. She had almost forgotten Loki’s rejection. She just couldn’t understand what had happened. “Did I upset him? Offended him even?” she asked herself.  
She brushed those thoughts away, as far as she could, which wasn’t very far at all. She had a lot to do today, she had to be focused. Maybe she could talk to the god later, figure things out. Maybe it will be okay. Just a misunderstanding.

After getting ready, she went straight into the conference room, where Steve was already waiting with Loki. She caught eyes with Steve for a brief second, and just that warmed her heavy heart.  
“Good morning.” She said quietly with a half smile, greeting the duo.  
“Good morning Ryland.” the captain responded. Loki did not. “All right, let’s get started. I was just talking to Loki about the logistics of his magic, how we can actually use it in combat.”   
“Yes, I was actually wondering how does the projection work, specifically on yourself. Is it just an image, or can you actually touch something?” Ryland asked in a steady voice. She was actually very curious, and she was a professional, it was her job to find out about all of this. It didn’t matter how sad she felt. She had work to do.  
Loki looked at her but didn’t miss a beat. He was wearing his usual Stoic face, no real expression or sentiment in sight.  
“No, it’s just an illusion. It is mostly to distract. But I can teleport to very far locations while maintaining the projection.”  
“That’s impressive.” Ryland could help but mutter.  
“Yes, that will be very useful.” Steve said.

They kept talking like this for a while. Steve and Ryland asked questions and Loki answered them without hesitation, giving them all what they needed to know.

“Well, I think that would do for now.” Steve said, concluding the session, first looking at Ryland for approval.  
“Yes, I guess so.” She said.  
“I assume you still need him on the lab.” Steve asked.  
Ryland had almost completely forgotten. She had to play scientist to her new lab rat.  
“Yes. Yes, of course. We need to study you thoroughly, try to understand whatever we can manage.”  
Loki did not even look at her. “Whatever you need.” he simply replied.  
“Great! I’ll let you rest for a bit. Maybe we can meet at four?” She asked the god.  
“Whenever you want.”   
“Good.” was the only thing Ryland managed to say. His words almost felt like punches to her. Steve notice something wasn’t right.  
“Thank you for your cooperation, Loki. You help will truly make a difference.” Steve said warmly to the god.  
“I hope so.” He said leaving the room.

Steve looked at his teammate. She looked confused, and a little sad.   
“Hey, are you all right?” he asked in a soft tone.  
Ryland was staring at the window, not really looking at anything.  
“Yeah, yes. Just, a little overwhelmed. That’s all.” She said. That was the truth, at least part of it. Still, she felt she was lying to her captain. She didn’t appreciate the feeling.  
“It will be alright, Ry. It’s all for the best. We are lucky he is on our side this time.” he said, trying to cheer her up.  
Ryland smiled. It was a sad smile. “Yes. You are right, as always.” She stood up. “Well, I won’t entertain you any longer…”  
Steve stood close to her, and grabbed her gently by the arms. “Ryland, whatever you need, I want you to know that you can count on me. Anything at all.” 

He seemed very worried. He was almost too close to her, she could smell his scent, it was intoxicating. And that voice. She wanted to hug him, just hug him for a bit, for him to tell her it would all be all right, even if he’d already did. She just wanted to feel his never ending warmth.

Steve felt her hesitance, and he thought maybe he was being too forward. He stepped back. Ryland grabbed his hand.   
“I know Steve.” She said, staring into his eyes. “Thank you.”  
Steve smiled. “Of course. Whatever you need.”  
He grabbed her hand with both of his for a second. Too short.  
“I’ll let you get back to work.” He said suddenly, before leaving.

Ryland stood there. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to smell the captain’s lingering fragrance. Everything seemed fine now. Whatever heaviness she had on her chest, it was gone.


	8. Help!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh no.

CHAPTER 8

Ryland headed to the lab. She and Bruce were working on different ways of translating Loki’s magic into human concepts. It was a very challenging process, but incredibly interesting. It felt like being a child all over again, discovering things for the first time. All her work meant something to her, but it almost felt like the new resident gave her career and life a whole new level of meaning. It was strange. She didn’t know if she liked that.

After hours of work, they finally figured out how to begin with the translation. It wasn’t bulletproof but it was a decent place to start. Ryland was excited to start working with Loki, to figure how his magic work, to decode every molecule of his body. His strong, fit, soft body.  
She had been so focused on her work that she completely forgot that the god didn’t like her anymore. “We will have to get past it.” she thought. 

In those few working hours, she remembered how much she loved her profession and the work she did. She loved it way more than anything else, even more than otherworldly crushes. She will focus on being good at her job, she could do that, the rest didn’t really matter. At least that was what she was saying to herself before Loki arrived at the lab. The sight of him made her forget how to breathe entirely. The heaviness on her chest suddenly came back.

“Hey, Loki” Bruce was the first to greet him. “We are very excited to start working with you,” he said smiling and looking at Ryland’s direction. She just managed to nod. She was still trying to remember how to exhale.  
“Thank you, Doctor.” Loki responded, in a neutral tone, “Whatever you need.” he said looking briefly at Ryland.  
“Wonderful. Let’s get started then, I will get the machine going. Ryland, do you mind prepping him?”  
“Of course,” she replied not too confident.

Both of them had developed an apparatus to analyze the new resident’s composition, atom by atom, giving them enough information to work a plan of action. Banner left them to go work on it

Both Loki and Ryland stood there for a few seconds. Ryland wanted to ask him so many things but didn’t know how to phrase them. “What did I do wrong?” was the only thing on her mind. It made her feel so foolish.

Loki broke the silence, “So, what do you need me to do?” he asked in what it almost felt like a friendly tone. Like he was trying to help. That pull Ryland out of her head, she had to stop feeling sorry for herself. There was more on stake here than her feelings. She had a job to do.  
“Right! Bruce and I have been working on a machine that will scan you and analyze everything about you. It will help us differentiate what part of you we have seen on earth before, and what is completely alien. That will give us a starting point in our research.”  
Ryland was talking with such passion, it was so obvious she loved what she did, and Loki could see it. He wished he could share her excitement.  
“First we would like to scan you as you are now, with your clothing on, as it seems to move along with you. Then we will need to scan you in your true form, without any clothing, so we can cross-reference the data.” Ryland explained.  
This made Loki flinch, even though he tried to hide it, Ryland noticed.  
“Is that okay with you?” she asked him, searching for his eyes.  
Loki was looking at the ground, avoiding her gaze, “It’s not like a have a choice.” His attempt at a neutral voice let out a glimpse of bitterness. Ryland heart shrank.  
“Loki, you do have a choice.” she stepped closer to him. Loki met her gaze. “Listen, you don’t have to do any of this, you don’t owe us anything. You are not a prisoner, you are not a lab rat.” She was getting tired of all this, why was he acting like this?

Loki kept looking at her. He wanted to believe her, he really did, but she knew this was part of her job. Getting him to cooperate. It wasn’t necessary, he would not give her trouble.  
“Right” he responded coldly.  
“Loki,” Ryland reached for his hand and held it with both of her hands. Loki looked at her in complete disbelief. “We have no intention to use you, we want to work with you. I mean it. I meant everything I’ve said.” Ryland told him, looking at his beautiful eyes, hoping he would stop doubting her. Hoping he would feel her warmth through his cold skin.

Loki stared at Ryland’s deep eyes, there was something in them, something he didn’t immediately recognize. It felt calm and inviting. Peaceful.  
Ryland let go of his hand. “Okay?”  
“Okay.” Loki finally said, honestly this time. There was no point in fighting it. If she was telling the truth, it didn’t even matter. She was kind when she didn’t need to be. He would be kind to her.

They started the test, it took a couple of minutes for the first scan. It went out as expected, with no complications.  
The doors opened and Loki stepped out of the machine. Ryland ran towards him to help him out. She grabbed him by the arm.  
“Is everything okay? Are you dizzy?” she asked concerned.  
“I feel fine.”  
“Are you sure? Do you want to sit down?”   
Loki couldn’t help to let out a laugh, “Ryland, I’m okay.” He looked at her sweetly.  
Ryland blushed. “Okay” finally said with a smile.

“Is everything ok?” they heard Bruce say through the intercom.  
“Yes,” Ryland replied.  
“Great! Now, just one more scan in your relaxed state, Loki”.  
Loki tensed. He didn’t want them to see him like that again. He didn’t want Ryland to remember how much of a monster he was. He had no choice.  
Ryland saw his expression change. “Hey. Are you okay?” she said as she grabbed his arm.  
“Yes. I… I’m fine.”  
“What’s wrong?” Ryland thought he was feeling sick from the previous scan. “Maybe we should take a break.”  
“No, I’m ok.” Loki saw her worried face. He felt like a child. He was being foolish.  
“Ryland, maybe you should go with Banner before I shift. So you feel safer.”  
She looked at him puzzled, “What do you mean?”  
“I don’t want to scare you.” Loki couldn’t even look at her.  
Ryland’s heart ached. He wanted her to feel safe. Of him. She took a step closer to him and touched his chest, where his heart should be. She felt it beating.  
“You don’t scare me,” she whispered to him before stepping a few feet back.  
Loki looked back at her, she was smiling. She was smiling at him. He let go of the breath he was holding. He shapeshift into his true form, he grew taller and stronger before Ryland’s eyes. She could not help to be at complete awe of this magnificent creature and his incredible power.

He got into the machine.  
“Ready?” Ryland asked before closing the door.  
“Ready.”   
Loki felt the machine rumble as it started working. It was kind of scary, being into the mercy of others like that. He felt exposed. He took a few deep breaths.  
Ryland got to the back with Bruce for the last scan of the day. Everything was going fine. It was supposed to take just a couple of minutes.  
Suddenly, the light went out. Still, the machine didn’t stop working. The emergency electricity backup was running, but the computers were going crazy.  
“Banner?!” Ryland shouted confused.  
“Check the mainframe,” he said.  
Ryland ran to the supercomputer.  
“It’s not responding!”  
“Shit!”  
The machine started to shake violently, seemed like smoke was coming out of it.  
“We need to stop it! Now!” Ryland screamed in panic.  
“This is useless. Not even the emergency protocol is working.” Bruce yelled   
Ryland looked back at the pod, “Loki!”  
She ran towards the machine, Loki was unconscious. It seemed like it was about to explode.  
“No, no, no no!” She searched for the emergency button. “Why is nothing working?!” she was getting desperate, she had no choice, she had to unplug it. She headed for the cables and disconnected the power source of the machine as well as the mainframe. The power went out again, apparently off the whole building. The machine stopped and the door opened, black smoke came out from inside.  
“Loki!” she screamed before running to him. He was laying in the pod unconscious, back to his original form. She pulled him out of the machine.   
“Loki? Loki, can you hear me?”   
“Was he dead?” the horrible thought crossed her mind. “Did I killed him?”  
“No. No, no, no. Please. Loki.” she started crying, cupping his face.

Suddenly, Steve appeared in the lab, looking for the threat.  
“What happened?” he spotted Ryland in the ground between all that smoke.  
“Ryland! Are you ok? Are you hurt?” he ran towards her.  
“Steve, help me. Loki, he is not responding.” Ryland was shaking.  
Steve kneeled before her and grabbed her arm.  
“Ryland. Ryland, look at me. Is going to be okay.” he said without any hesitation. Ryland believed him. She nodded.  
Steve started inspecting Loki. He checked for a pulse, it was still there. He felt extremely cold.  
“He is alive. Let’s take him to the clinic. Okay?” he waited for Ryland response.  
“Yea.. Yeah.” she got up. “Let’s go.”  
Steve carried Loki in his back and ran to the medical facility on that floor. Ryland was just behind him.  
“What happened?” the nurse who received them asked.  
“We were running a few tests. The machine malfunction. We don’t know what happened. He is not waking up…” A couple of tears started running trough her cheek. She was trying to stay as calm as possible, trying to be helpful, but it was too much. Between the lab being wrecked and seeing Loki like that. “It’s all my fault.” she thought.  
A couple of nurses and doctors gathered and took Loki away. 

“They will take good care of him. He will be okay.” Steve said, trying to comfort Ryland.  
“Yeah,” she said in a muffled voice. She couldn’t stop crying.  
“Heey” Steve grabbed her in a soft embrace, “It’s going to be okay.”  
Ryland felt his strong but tender hold around her, it was warm and calming. She put her hands around him to. It felt right. She felt like she could breathe again. She wanted to stay like that forever. Feeling his warmth.

Steve was the one to break the hug, stepping back slightly, and gabbing her arms.  
“Everything will be alright, Ry. I promise,” he said looking into her eyes.  
The way he said that made Ryland feel safe, like nothing bad could happen if she was with him. She looked into those deep blue eyes, they were all she wanted to see. Nothing else mattered.   
Steve’s sweet gaze suddenly changed to a concerned one.  
“Ryland, are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?” he started asking in a rush.  
Ryland was pulled back from her safe place back to reality.  
“Whaat.. no, no, I’m fine. We were fine. It was just Loki.. I don’t…” she started to panic again. Steve noticed.  
“Ok, ok. Take it easy, Ry.” he said as he led her to a chair. “Try to calm down, just talk to me. We will figure it out.  
Ryland sat down. She could feel her panic staying at bay just by looking at Steve. She truly believed him when he said everything would be okay, so she tried to calm down and focus on the events. She took a deep breath like she hadn’t been breathing for the past fifteen minutes.   
“Ok, so, we were scanning him, with our new machine, the one Bruce and I just build, everything was going fine, and then, out of nowhere, the power went off, the computers started going crazy, and Loki, he just, went down. I’ll have to analyze the whole thing with Banner, I…”  
“Ryland, are you sure you are not hurt?” Steve asked again.  
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure.”  
“Good. Then you should go rest for a while.”  
“What?! No, we have to figure this out, I can’t..” Steve cut her out by grabbing her hand.  
“Ryland. I’m sure you will figure it out, you always do.” He looked at her with such tenderness, “But you need to take a break. You need to take care of yourself.”  
Ryland wanted to grab his hand and kiss it. Feel its warmth against her cheek. She wanted to tell him how safe she felt with him. But she just stared at him, not knowing how to express what she was feeling.  
Steve got up from his chair, “Come on, I’ll take you to your room. Okay?” he said softly.  
“Okay.” 

They took the elevator back to her floor.  
Ryland was starting to feel extremely tired after all the adrenaline was gone it just hit her like a ton of bricks.  
“What if he doesn’t wake up? What if I messed it all up?” she said in a very soft voice, almost inaudible before the elevator arrived at her floor and she stepped out sluggishly.  
They walked back to her room in silence. She even thought maybe Steve didn’t hear her, ignoring his enhanced senses.  
They arrived at her door.  
“Thank you for..” Ryland could not finish her sentence when Steve stepped closer to her and softly cupped her face, using his thumb to clean her tears off her cheek.  
“None of this is your fault, Ry.” he said, in a very low, tender voice. He searched for her eyes. “He is going to be okay.” It was a statement, and she believed it.   
Ryland felt his warm touch and felt like she could just melt right there. She put her hand right above his, caressing it slightly  
“Thank you.” she managed to say in a whisper.  
Steve seemed to get closer before pulling completely back from her. He cleared out his throat.   
“Get some rest, okay?” he asked, somewhat shyly.  
Ryland was taken aback by the sudden loss of his touch.  
“Thank you, Steve,” she repeated, this time slightly louder.  
“I’ll see you later,” he said before turning back to the elevator.

Ryland slowly closed her room and laid into her bed, wondering what had happened in just a few minutes. Her days kept being weirder and weirder. She thought of Loki, her stomach flinched. “He will be okay.” she thought, “He will be.”   
The thought of Steve, his touch, his warmth, his blue eyes were the last thing she saw before falling asleep.


	9. Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryland can't sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comments!  
Hope you enjoy this one.  
xoxox

CHAPTER 9

Ryland woke up with sweat all over her body, she was panting. She tried to calm herself down.  
“It's not real. Just a dream. Just a nightmare.” she repeated to herself. She felt a heavy weight on her chest.  
“Fuck!” she whispered as she pulled away her covers and got off the bed, she wasn’t going back to sleep. She looked out the window and stared at the glowing full moon. Nothing felt right.“I have to see him” she thought.

She put on some shoes and went straight into the medical facility. There were a couple of doctors and nurses covering the late night shifts. She asked for him at the reception.  
“Hi. Good evening. Is it possible that I could see a patient?”   
“Honey, is very late. You should come back in the morning.”  
“Look, I’m sorry, I know is late. I just want to check if he is okay, we brought him a few hours ago and I don’t even know if he is alive… I…” Ryland heart started to pound.  
“Okay sweetie, calm down. Who’s your friend?” the nurse asked.  
“Loki.”  
“Loki. Let’s see.” she typed in her computer. Her eyes widened. “Loki? Are you the girl that came with Captain America today?” she asked Ryland excitedly.  
“What? Yes, he helped me bring him here. Is he okay?”   
“Oh, yes honey, he is fine. Don’t you worry. We will check him out tomorrow if he is feeling well. He is in room 9, but you really should let him rest.”  
“Thank you very much, I won’t take long.” 

Ryland walked towards the patients ward. He was okay. She let out a deep sigh, still feeling guilty. She found the room. “The nurse is right, I should let him rest.” she thought. “Probably he would not even want to see me.” She just wanted to see him, to make sure he was okay. She took a deep breath and opened the door slowly.

She tried to be as quiet as possible, she didn’t want to wake him up. The room was dark and cool. She closed the door behind her. There he was. She saw his face illuminated by the bright moon. He looked so peaceful lying there. So perfect.   
She stood by the door no knowing what to do. She was deciding whether to leave or stay. Her logical side knew it was better to leave, to let him rest, talk to him tomorrow, but every cell of her body was yelling her to stay, just for a little while longer. She was hypnotized by the beautiful sight before her, of a God, sleeping by the moonlight. 

She was almost about to leave when she heard her name.  
“Ryland?” Loki said in a croaky voice.  
“Hey, Loki” she said whispering “I’m… I’m sorry I woke you up. I should let you rest.”  
“Would you mind,” Loki started “would you mind staying, just for a moment?”  
Ryland didn’t need to hear that twice. She approached the bed and sat in the only chair in the room, facing him.  
“How are you feeling?” she managed to ask. Her voice was trembling.  
“I’m fine. Although, your doctors filled me with some chemical for the pain, so I’m not the best judge.” he said teasingly.  
“Loki… I’m so terribly sorry for what happened today. It should never had happened. I’m so sorry…” Ryland said trying to stay calm, but tears threaten to pour out. She looked down.  
“I promise you it takes a whole more than a simple machine malfunction to take down a God.” Loki could see that she was crying. “Hey, Ryland, look at me.”  
She rose her head wiping away some tears.   
“I’m okay.” Loki extended her hand to her. Ryland reached for it and hold it tight, caressing it with her thumb.  
“I thought I’d lost you” she whispered.  
“I’m here.” 

Loki rose his hand slowly to cup her face and wipe away the tears on her cheek. She held him back and kissed his palm. It was cool and soft. She smiled.

“I'm sorry for being cruel to you. I have forgotten to recognize kindness. I don’t know how to give it back.”  
“Is okay, Loki. I am just glad you are okay.”  
“You should go, get some rest.” he said.  
“Do you mind if I stay just a little longer?” she asked shyly.  
Loki smiled, “Not at all.”


End file.
